Yep. We've assigned the federal government so much power, that the Presidential election has become a proxy for civil war.Only in the current paradigm.
IF we stuck with the original concept of our government being separated powers then we would be fine because the president would not have so much fucking power over the local government that you would not really care even if you bitterly disagree.
That is one of the areas where we went wrong and are now seeing it culminate. The growing powers of the feds means fundamental differences at the national level in a WTA race is unworkable.